Chrysanthemum plant named `Empire Scottsdale`

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named Empire Scottsdale, characterized particularly by its bronze ray florets, fully double flowers with no disc florets; compact, cushion habit, making it suitable for greenhouse or garden culture; 4.5-5.0 cm capitulum diameter; a natural season flower date of September 25 in New Hartford, N.Y., and its eight week flower response in light/shade programs.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora, andreferred to by the cultivar name Empire Scottsdale.

Empire Scottsdale is a product of a planned breeding program which hadthe objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a freelybranching compact cushion habit, early flower response, bronzedecorative flowers and adaptability as a garden variety. Such traits incombination were not present in previously available commercialcultivars.

Empire Scottsdale was originated from a hybridization made by theinventor in a controlled breeding program in New Hartford, N.Y. in 1991.The female parent was Empire Cheyenne, an orange-bronze decorativedisclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,973. The male parent of EmpireScottsdale was a yellow-bronze decorative identified as C89-14, aproprietary breeding line.

Empire Scottsdale was discovered and selected as one flowering plantwithin the progeny of the stated parentage by the inventor in August1992 in a controlled environment in New Hartford, N.Y.

The first act of asexual reproduction of Empire Scottsdale wasaccomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initialselection in October 1992 in a controlled environment in New Hartford,N.Y. by a technician working under formulations established andsupervised by the inventor. Horticultural examination of selected unitsinitiated in August 1993 has demonstrated that the combination ofcharacteristics as herein disclosed for Empire Scottsdale are firmlyfixed and are retained through successive generations of asexualreproduction.

Empire Scottsdale has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity, and day length,without, however, any variation in genotype. The following observations,measurements and comparisons describe plants grown in New Hartford, N.Y.under natural outdoor conditions which approximate those generally usedin commercial practice.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of Empire Scottsdale, which in combinationdistinguish this Chrysanthemum as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Bronze ray florets.

2. Fully double flowers with no disc florets.

3. Fully expanded ray florets are approximately 2.3 cm long and 0.8 cmwide, with regular dentate tips.

4. Average of 296 ray florets per flower.

5. Capitulum is 4.5-5.0 cm in diameter.

6. Eight (8) week flower response in light/shade programs.

7. Performs well in the outdoor garden, flowering approximatelySeptember 25 in New Hartford, N.Y.

8. Compact cushion habit, making it suitable for production in 4" to 8"containers.

Of the many commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the mostsimilar in comparison to Empire Scottsdale is the female parent EmpireCheyenne. In comparison to Empire Cheyenne, Empire Scottsdale flowersapproximately 1 week later, both in natural season and light/shadeprograms, has a softer, true decorative texture rather than button-like,is slightly more compact, and has a lighter bronze ray floret color. Thecapitulum size, fully double flowers, and adaptability to greenhouse orgarden cultures are similar to those same characteristics of EmpireCheyenne.

The accompanying photographic drawing comprises a perspective viewshowing typical inflorescence and foliage characteristics of EmpireScottsdale, with colors being as nearly true as possible withillustrations of this type.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart. The color values were determinedbetween 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM on Sep. 29, 1995 under 4,000 footcandles atNew Hartford, N.Y.

Classification:

Botanical.--Dendranthema grandiflora cv. Empire Scottsdale.

Commercial.--Decorative garden mum.

INFLORESENCE

A. Capitulum:

Form.--Decorative.

Type.--Double.

Diameter across face.--4.5 to 5.0 cm.

B. Corolla of ray florets:

Color (General tonality from a distance of three meters).--Bronze.

Color (upper surface).--Center is 22A, outwardly toward edge color is22B.

Color (lower surface).--22C.

C. Corolla of disc florets: No disc florets.

D. Reproductive organs:

Androecium.--None.

Gynoecium.--Present on ray florets; style 0.4 cm, biburcated.

II. PLANT

A. General appearance:

Height.--23-26 cm, when grown in an 8" pot.

B. Foliage:

Color (lower surface).--137D.

Color (upper surface).--137C.

Size and shape.--7.5 cm long, 4.5-5.0 cm wide, 5-lobed.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed Empire Scottsdale, as illustrated and described.